German patent publication 2,522,738 discloses a binocular which has a stabilized core. The stabilized core includes an ocular tube as well as an objective tube, an image erection system and a fold mechanism. The stabilized core is completely embedded in a soft plastic. This plastic is provided for impact attenuation. The color of the soft plastic can be influenced or determined by admixed materials. A lacquering of the soft plastic is not needed.
From the brochure of Carl Zeiss, binoculars are known, which have a multi-color housing. The sheathing or covering of the housing is attached with adhesive to the base body of the binocular. It is problematic here that the mutually adjoining edges have to be matched very precisely thereby making manufacture very complex. A covering attached defectively with adhesive cannot be easily corrected so that attaching the covering with adhesive is associated with a high number of rejections during manufacture.
It is an object of the invention to provide a housing for a binocular which is so improved that the manufacturing costs are reduced.
The housing of the invention is for a binocular having a base. The housing includes: an outer skin; and, a latching mechanism for securing the outer skin to the base.
The required complexity with respect to manufacture is greatly reduced with the provision of attaching an external skin or covering by means of a latching mechanism with the covering surrounding the housing. This is so because gluing of the external skin is not necessary or necessary only at some points because of this latching mechanism.
It has been advantageous to subdivide the external skin into several component segments. One component segment functions as an ocular protective shroud.
In an advantageous embodiment of the latching mechanism, this latching mechanism has latching elements which are made of a hard material.
It has been shown to be advantageous to connect the latching elements tightly to a base body of the binocular. The latching mechanisms engage in cutouts configured in the base body. In this way, a fixed connection between the external skin and the base bodies of the binocular is established.
This type of assembly of the external skin is especially simple. Here, a removal of a non-fitting external skin is possible wherein sometimes the external skin may have to be cut. This means that an incorrectly assembled or attached external skin can be exchanged. This is especially advantageous because fewer parts have to be rejected as defective during manufacture.
It has been shown to be advantageous to connect structural parts with the external skin, with these structural parts being made of a hard material. These structural parts are preferably molded into the external skin. Latching elements are fixedly connected to the structural parts and the latching elements are preferably configured as one piece with the structural parts. More specifically, the latching mechanism also includes latching elements to connect a structural part of the ocular protective shroud to a structural part of the cover.
It has been shown to be advantageous to manufacture the structural parts as well as the external skin by means of injection molding. This is a simple and cost-effective manufacturing method.
In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the latching elements of the structural parts latch into cutouts which are formed in the base body. It can also be provided that the latch elements engage through the cutouts formed in the base body and latch at the opposite sides.
An advantageous embodiment of the invention provides that two structural parts are tightly connected to a segment of the outer skin which can be characterized as a cover. The structural parts are hinge-connected to each other by means of the cover which is elastic.